LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
[First Reprint]
SENATE, No. 3618
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
DATED: OCTOBER 30, 2024
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Directs DEP and DOT to establish "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan.” |
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Type of Impact: |
Decennial State expenditure increase; potential annual State cost increase. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
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Decennial State Expenditure Increase |
Approximately $600,000 |
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Potential Annual State Expenditure Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that this bill will result in approximately $600,000 in additional State expenditures every 10 years as the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation collaborate to develop and implement a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. This estimate assumes that the development of the plan will require four full-time equivalent employees across the two departments.
· The Department of Transportation may incur indeterminate annual cost increases to the extent that recommended crossing projects cause road construction, maintenance, and repair projects to be more costly than they otherwise would be absent this bill.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation to collaboratively develop and implement a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The plan would identify wildlife corridors and wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots, prioritize and recommend crossing projects to promote driver safety and wildlife connectivity, utilize relevant State databases to incorporate existing conservation strategies developed in the State (such as the State Wildlife Action Plan and the Department of Environmental Protection’s Connecting Habitats Across New Jersey project), consider the impact of road projects on wildlife corridors by modifying and incorporating safety measures in road and highway construction, and coordinate action between State agencies to maximize the effectiveness and safety of wildlife corridors. Wherever feasible, the Department of Transportation is to incorporate the recommended crossing projects into road construction, maintenance, and repair projects.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation would be required to update this Wildlife Corridor Action plan every 10 years. The departments would be authorized to call upon the advice and services of other State agencies and independent authorities, federal agencies, and national and State conservation, environment, or wildlife groups and organizations.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None Received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS estimates that this bill will result in approximately $600,000 in additional State expenditures every 10 years as the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation collaborate to develop and implement wildlife habitat connectivity strategies and corridor action plans. The Department of Transportation may also incur indeterminate annual cost increases to the extent that recommended crossing projects cause road construction, maintenance, and repair projects to be more costly than they otherwise would be absent this bill.
Other states have implemented similar programs to ensure safe ecological connectivity. One such program in the State of Washington directed the Department of Transportation and Department of Fish and Wildlife to enter into a memorandum of understanding to establish a wildlife habitat connectivity alliance, which would initiate a collaborative strategy and stakeholder forum to advance projects that provide safe passage for wildlife and motorists. The bill required the development of an interagency steering committee, the hiring of a third-party facilitator to guide the operations of the alliance, a plan for mobilizing diverse stakeholder participation and outreach, and the identification of efforts needed to build a framework for prioritization, oversight, and funding decisions related to implementing connectivity action plans. In Washington, these plans and processes are to be updated every six years.
Fiscal estimates for the Washington bill estimated the operating expenditures to be $452,000 for the first two years of implementation, $790,000 for the third and fourth years of implementation, and $722,000 for the fifth and sixth years of implementation. Because the New Jersey bill does not include identical requirements, some of the anticipated costs for the implementation of the Washington bill would not be incurred for the implementation of the New Jersey bill. Given the example of Washington wildlife corridor planning and implementation, the OLS concludes that New Jersey could expect approximately $600,000 in additional expenditures every 10 years as the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation hire four additional full-time equivalent staff – two in each department – and initiate the planning processes necessary to implement the bill.
The bill may also lead to increased annual expenditures by the Department of Transportation for road construction projects, since it requires the department to incorporate wildlife crossings recommended under the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan into road construction, maintenance, and repair projects whenever practicable. The OLS cannot estimate how the inclusion of these crossings will affect project expenses over the baseline costs absent this bill.
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Section: |
Environment, Agriculture, Energy & Natural Resources |
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Analyst: |
Anna Heckler Assistant Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).